What Is the League Minimum Salary in MLS?
In 2010, Major League Soccer and its players union agreed to a collective bargaining agreement through 2014. The agreement includes provisions regarding the minimum salary, which usually applies to players just breaking into the league. Although players ultimately can rise up the salary ladder and earn many times what they did starting out, an economic gulf exists between players making the minimum and those at the top of the ladder.
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Facts
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Major League Soccer and its players union agreed to various provisions as part of the 2010 collective bargaining agreement. The pact established a new minimum salary of $40,000, a rise of $6,000 from the previous agreement. For players in a team's developmental system, the minimum salary increased to $31,250. The labor agreement also called for a 5 percent annual rise in the minimum salary, meaning it was to be raised to $42,000 for the 2011 season. It will rise to about $48,600 in 2014, the last year of the current CBA.
Considerations
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In 2010, the highest paid player in Major League Soccer was David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy. An established soccer star with experience in the top leagues overseas, Beckham made $6.5 million in base salary and guaranteed bonuses for the season. Among his teammates were three players making the minimum salary. They each made $1,333 per match on the Galaxy's 30-game regular-season schedule. Beckham made $216,666 per outing.
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Comparisons
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Although the top salaries in Major League Soccer are lucrative by any measure, the minimum salaries lag far behind those in other major sports. That status is a reflection of soccer's lower profile in the United States relative to sports such as football, baseball, basketball and hockey. In 2010, according to the website Career Builder, the minimum salaries in those sports were $325,000 for National Football League players, $400,000 for Major League Baseball players, $457,588 for National Basketball Association players and $500,000 for National Hockey League players. The minimum salary of MLS players was slightly ahead of the minimum of $35,190 for Women's National Basketball Association players.
Clarifications
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Most MLS players earning the league minimum do not even have a guarantee of making their salary. In accordance with the labor agreement, contracts are guaranteed only for players who are at least 24 and have three years of service with the league. For other players, a team that cuts them during training camp does not owe their salary. Although players have opportunities to substantially increase their salaries as they progress in experience, free agency is far more restrictive than for players in other sports. Under the league's single-entity structure, players do not negotiate deals with teams, but instead with the league office. The goal is to prevent bidding wars between teams, which keeps salaries down.
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References
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- Photo Credit soccer ball image by Mitchell Knapton from Fotolia.com
